A preliminary note: Country music has been labelled reactionary, racist, prejudiced, sexist and all manner of other things. Of course these elements exist in country but they also exist in rock, blues, reggae and all forms of popular music. The one thing that can't be levelled against country is that it is a male domain. I cannot think of another form of music where female singers / songwriters are as equally revered as males. Females in rock you can count on one hand and they tend to be minor or a caricature of femininity itself whilst in country, female singers hold as dominant a position in the industry as male singers. By way of example, and just off the top of my head … Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Lynn Anderson, Kitty Wells, Tanya Tucker, Barbara Mandrell, Reba McEntire, Rita Coolidge, Anne Murray, Emmylou Harris, Skeeter Davis, June Carter Cash, Allison Krauss, Crystal Gayle, Rosanne Cash, The Judds, The Dixie Chicks, Bobbie Gentry, Juice Newton, Linda Ronstadt, Jeannie C Riley, Kitty Wells, Wanda Jackson. If you don't know country you may not know any of the songs sung by these women but even a casual rock listener has heard their names before which says something in itself. I concede it wasn't always this way but this list does go back to the late 1950s. Rock certainly cant display the same calibre of female stardom or adoration received as country female vocalists receive.*
OK so the lyrics the country females mouth may be (arguably) quite "sexist" and designed to "keep women in their place" on occasion, but there is more than enough "in your face" female attitude and naked emotion in country as well.
The fact that they have such a large voice in country music is a question I will leave to the cultural anthropologists.
I know (knew) Donna Fargo by name only.
Donna Fargo was born in North Carolina in 1945.
allmusic had this to say: "In the early '70s, Donna Fargo was an unusual country star for a couple of reasons. She was one of the few female country singers to write her own material, and one of the few country singers of any sort to cross over to the pop charts in a big way, which she did in 1972 with "The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A." (number 11) and "Funny Face" (number five). She never made the pop Top 40 again, but placed over a dozen more singles in the country Top Ten in the '70s, most written by herself. As an artist, she was squarely in the mainstream, her slightly lisping voice delivering upbeat, sweetly produced homilies to romance, home, and America".
Ms Fargo's music is otherwise "country-pop" or "countrypolitan" but at least the regional accents are alive and well as opposed to later country pop like Shania Twain which is totally devoid of any regional accent or even any individuality. To my ears Ms Fargo sounds like a less ballsy Bobbie Gentry, but the music is well played and generally inoffensive. There are a couple of good tracks and a couple of awful schmaltzy ones (as only country can make 'em).
Best Tracks
- It Do Feel Good – a good up-tempo number about falling in love (naturally). #7 Country, #98 pop.
- I'll Try A Little Bit Harder – #6 country. A country weepie (as only country can make them) – Lyrics:
I'll try a little bit harder if you will
And if you think we're worth trying to save
And if you think we're worth trying to save
We were happy once I know we were where where did we go wrong
We were on the same side one time weren't we
Why would we how could we we could not pretend for so long
But I don't want to prolong this mis'ry if you're leavin'
And I don't think I'd beg you to stay
But I'll try a little bit harder if you will and if you think we're worth trying to save
We were on the same side one time weren't we
Why would we how could we we could not pretend for so long
But I don't want to prolong this mis'ry if you're leavin'
And I don't think I'd beg you to stay
But I'll try a little bit harder if you will and if you think we're worth trying to save
- Just A Friend Of Mine
And …
Tape a couple and sell …
Chart Action
The album went to #5 on the Country charts (which is a substantial percentage of the market in the US)
Sounds
It Do feel Good
attached
Just A Friend Of Mine
Her big hit from 1972:
Bio
Website
* "Pop" can but thats a different discussion altogether.
(originally posted 28/11/2009)
